[Leica] Digital Leica M

[bdcolen at comcast.net (B. D. Colen)]

Well, all I can say Peter is that I don't have any of the issues with the
Olympus 'digital' lenses, which, quite honestly, perform at the level of my
Leica M lenses. I need have problems with the Oly lenses, which is why I
really don't waste my time screwing around with using them.

I fully expect the digital M to be a really nifty, if grossly overpriced,
camera. I'm sure it will produce stellar images - of course so will a $300
point and shoot these days. I'm just surprised at this self-described
limitation.

(Why do I say it's grossly overpriced? It's simple - the only thing that
justifies the price - well used to justify the price - of new Leica Ms and
Rs is that they literally were cameras for a life time. But in this
electronic, digital age, that is simply no longer so. Even if one is willing
to stick with 2006's digital technology, with a 10 mgp file and a 1.3x crop
- and I can easily see making that decision - one is still buying a computer
wrapped in a traditional body. And computers, unlike Leica Ms, are not
"forever." So when a Canon 5D full-frame camera costs $3.2K, and a 20D is,
what, $1300, and so on, a price of $5K is insane for what one is buying -
whether or not it mounts Leica glass. But, hey, to each his own in terms of
what's worth what. There are, after all, zillions of people who could never
understand why an M was worth what was charged for it.)

B. D.


On 6/7/06 12:22 PM, "Klein, Peter A" <kleinp@BATTELLE.ORG> wrote:

> I don't know that they implied needing "major surgery," B.D.  This may
> simply be a marketing thing.  They can't prevent you from using
> off-brand M and LTM lenses. So they produce a slogan with some built-in
> FUD.  "Use our newer lenses and get better results."  How much better,
> if at all?  We'll have to wait and see.
> 
> My suspicion, based on RD-1 results I've seen, is that 50mm and longer
> will be fine, 35mm will probably be fine, and anything wider may require
> a little tweaking to get the edges right.  Many DSLRs have vignetting
> and color fringing issues, especially with wide lenses.  If Leica can
> offer some automatic correction so we have less manual tweaking to do,
> more power to 'em.
> 
> The lens information can be also used for color balance.  I'm sure
> you've noted, as I have, that different OM Zuikos on E-series Olympus
> DSLRs give slightly different color rendition. If a Leica lens can "dial
> in" its own correction, why not?
>  
> BTW, great article on the stem cell stuff.  It's important work, and I'm
> glad Haaav'd has stepped forward.
> 
> --Peter
>  
> "B. D. Colen" <bdcolen@comcast.net> wrote:
>> They have indeed not said that you can't use every Leica lens ever
> made -
>> they have simply implied, with this latest announcement, that only
> those
>> lenses that have been "converted" will produce results that don't need
> major
>> surgery in Photoshop. ;-)
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Leica Users Group.
> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information